Council is closer to learning the outcome of its legal proceedings against the State Government. The legal action calls into question the processes the State Government undertook when determining the proposed merger of Lane Cove, Hunter’s Hill and Ryde councils.

The Land and Environment Court’s decision will not be determined until at least late July/early August. The case will guide the Minister for Local Government’s decision on whether to proclaim a new Council encompassing the Lane Cove, Hunter’s Hill and Ryde council areas.

In the meantime Council is operating business as usual, commencing projects that have been approved for the 2016/17 financial year and continuing to deliver high-quality services to the Lane Cove community. Once the outcome of the proceedings is known Council will update the community and its website accordingly.

State Government Announces Mergers

On Thursday 12 May the State Government announced 19 new councils across NSW.

Lane Cove was not part of this announcement as the current legal action by Hunter's Hill Council is yet to be determined. The State Government has committed to hearing this case before making its determination on the proposed merger of Lane Cove, Hunter's Hill and Ryde councils.The case is due to be heard week commencing 30 May.

In the interim Council has received a copy of the Delegate's report following the Public Inquiry earlier this year as well as a summary of comments made by the Local Government Boundaries Commission in response to the Delegate's report.

The State Government has created a website www.strongercouncils.nsw.gov.au which details the proposed mergers, confirmed mergers and the implementation for those councils who were officially proclaimed on 12 May.

Council will update the community on any proposed timeframes or announcements should these be made available by the State Government.

Council makes its submission to the State Government

Lane Cove has provided its written response to the State Government's proposed merger of Lane Cove, Hunter's Hill and Ryde councils.

The submission uses the legislative criteria outlined in the State Government's proposal as the means of presenting the strenght of Council's capabilities to the Delegate appointed to assess the merger.

​On Tuesday 2 February the State government held its Public Inquiry into the proposed merger of Lane Cove, Hunter's Hill and Ryde councils.

Residents, community groups, interest groups and councillors spoke over the two sessions held in the afternoon and evening.

The Mayor of Lane Cove, Clr Deborah Hutchens took the opportunity to address the State government's appointed delegate, Dr Robert Lang who is tasked with providing feedback on the merger to the NSW government.

"I believe that under a large Council the very essence of local government – namely, our close connection with, and responsiveness to our community will be lost. Or perhaps more accurately – it will be taken from us. I am proud to represent the people of Lane Cove and stand here today to affirm their right to an agile and responsive Council that helps to protect their local interests.

I urge the State government to consider the results of our high-performing, innovative Council and to listen to the feedback from our community".

Those members of the community who could not attend the Inquiry are reminded that the closing date for written submissions is 5pm on 28 February 2016.

The date has been set for a public inquiry into the State Government's proposed merger of Lane Cove, Hunter's Hill and Ryde councils.

The inquiry will be held at Hunters Hill Sailing Club, off Clarke Road on Tuesday 2 February 2016. There are two session times, 1:00pm – 5:00pm and 7:00pm – 10:00pm.

Members of the public who would like to attend must pre-register at www.councilboundaryreview.nsw.gov.au or by contacting 1300 813 020. If you wish to speak at the inquiry you must indicate this when you register to attend. Registrations close 12noon on Friday 29 January 2016.

Those who cannot attend can provide a written submission by 5pm on 28 February 2016.

Merger Proposal for Ryde, Hunter's Hill and Lane Cove

On 6 January 2016 the Minister for Local Government, The Hon. Paul Toole MP, formally referred a merger proposal for Lane Cove, Hunter's Hill and the City of Ryde councils to the Chief Executive of the Office of Local Government (OLG) for examination and report under the Local Government Act.

The OLG Chief Executive has delegated the examination and reporting of all proposals to other people (Delegates). The Delegate that has been appointed to undertake the examination of the merger proposal for Ryde, Hunter's Hill and Lane Cove councils is Dr. Robert Lang. In examining and reporting on merger proposals, Delegates will conduct a public inquiry, call for written submissions and prepare a report with due regard to factors in section 263(3) of the Act. These factors include financial considerations, communities of interest, elected representation, employment of staff, services and facilities, and the attitude of residents and ratepayers. The Delegates report will go to the Minister for Local Government and the independent Local Government Boundaries Commission for comment.

On Friday 18 December the State Government announced their latest step
in the Local Government Reform process. Premier Mike Baird and Minister Paul
Toole held a briefing for councils which provided a short summary of
their intentions in 2016.

Lane Cove is proposed to be merged with Hunters’ Hill and Ryde councils resulting
in a combined population of around 160,000.

In order to move forward with the proposed mergers the State
Government needs to go through a process with the NSW Boundaries Commission.
The Premier this morning indicated that this would commence in early January.
Council will learn more about the overall process in the coming weeks and
months but what is now known is that the timeframes for local government
elections is now March 2017 (previously September 2016). During 2016 the State
Government has indicated it will provide delegates to assist with community and
council consultation and public meetings regarding the mergers.

As more information comes to hand in the new year, Council
will provide an update to its community on the proposed merger and the
opportunity the community has to input into this process. Council services and
programs will continue business as usual as we enter 2016.

The deadline for the farcical and shameful ’50 word’ submissions to the State Government which will be used to determine the future of our Councils were due yesterday (18 November)

The State Government recently determined that our Councils are unfit and subsequently decided to reduce Councils ability to respond comprehensively to the recommendations from the IPART report. In stark comparison, the report from the Parliamentary Inquiry into Local Government in NSW, General Purpose Standing Committee Number 6, strongly supported City of Ryde, Hunters Hill and Lane Cove Councils proposed Joint Regional Authority (JRA).

Recommendation 17 of the report stated: "That the NSW Government work with local government on a statutory model for Joint Organisations based on the Hunters Hill, Ryde and Lane Cove Council model as a cooperative and consensus model for local council reform in Metropolitan Sydney".

This outcome absolutely vindicates the strong position we have held from its inception, that the City of Ryde, Hunter’s Hill and Lane Cove Councils’ proposal of a Joint Regional Authority (JRA) is a bold, visionary and a superior alternative to the NSW Government’s Fit for the Future proposals.

The JRA partners of City of Ryde, Hunter's Hill and Lane Cove Councils have all responded to the State Government along the following lines: (City of Ryde/ Hunter’s Hill Council / Lane Cove Council) is financially fit and sustainable, and has capacity and size for effective local government. It supports the JRA model for regional cooperation, as endorsed by the NSW Legislative Council. Council has the strong support of its local community and rejects the need to merge with any council.

Lane Cove Mayor Clr Deborah Hutchens said: "Our job is to represent the interests of our local community, not the interests of the State government. We all know it won't be communities that will benefit most from the mergers. I urge the State government to open their ears and their eyes to what forced mergers will do to our local communities, not just in Lane Cove but across the State".

Ryde Mayor Clr Jerome Laxale said: "The City of Ryde is standing firm against the ‘Bully-Boy’ tactics of the NSW Premier Mike Baird on this issue, we will not succumb to the demands that are being forced upon us against the will of our community."

Hunter’s Hill Mayor Clr Richard Quinn said: "The Hunters Hill community has soundly rejected amalgamation and, with strong community support, has committed to pursuing the JRA regional partnership with Ryde and Lane Cove to achieve strategic capacity and efficiencies of scale. It's now time for the Premier and the Minister to listen to the people and accept the JRA reform model."

The JRA is a sophisticated and contemporary model which breaks the traditional mould of amalgamations. The amalgamation option lacks innovation and the flexibility to move with the changing demands of our communities.

The JRA is a strong and unique model that we are convinced would meet our communities’ needs and allow them to have a say in their future together in working with the State Government in the strategic planning of Greater Sydney.

Our residents have clearly shown their preference for us to work together which was demonstrated by their 92% level of support of our JRA as their first or second preference, which is a very clear mandate from our communities on this issue.

Our residents clearly have pride in their history and unique identity, have confidence in our Council’s financial and governance performance and have a strong desire to be in control of their future and under no circumstances want to see the destruction of their communities and we will continue to fight for their survival.

The Save our Councils Coalition organised a rally on the final day of the State Government's 30 day deadline for councils to put forward merger options.

All councils opposing mergers were encouraged to join together on Wednesday 18
November for a public rally at 12pm in Martin Place. The crowd of up to 1,000 people were addressed by Alan Jones who lent his support to the rally publicly stating his position against forced amalgamations.

Public Meeting

Council invited the community to have their say on the future of Lane Cove at a public meeting on Monday 9 November.

The crowd welcomed the words of Rev. Hon. Fred Nile ED MLP who attended the meeting and declared his full support for the Joint Regional Authority model. He also confirmed that the State Government would need to find other avenues to force amalgamations, definitively ruling out any support for legislative changes via the Upper House.This also came with a warning to councils that there are other ways the Government could force the change and therefore he could not rule out that mergers could still take place under the current State government.

Councillor Deborah Hutchens, Mayor of Lane Cove, summed up the meeting by saying "It was important that we heard from the community prior to the 18 November deadline. The message I heard loud and clear is that our community still don't support mergers and should they be forced to make a decision on merging that this should be a decision for ratepayers, not Council and certainly not the State government".

"Our job is to represent the interests of our community and it is important that we stand by their ongoing rejection of the merger proposals. Mergers result in a significant change to the democratic process and so if the State Government wants to change the democratic rights of our local residents then the Premier should give them the democratic right to vote on the issue" said Clr Hutchens.

Council has yet to formally adopt its response to the State Government. This will take place at its Council Meeting of Monday 16 November, two days prior to the 18 November deadline.

Take Action via Change.org

A collaborative petition has been launched via Change.org that urges the State Government to engage in a more collaborative and consultative process before undertaking any action to amalgamate councils.

Upper House announces its support for Lane Cove, Hunter's Hill and Ryde 'Joint Regional Authority'

On 29 October the Parliamentary Inquiry into Local Government in NSW, General Purpose Standing Committee Number 6, released its report which strongly supported City of Ryde, Hunters Hill and Lane Cove Councils proposed Joint Regional Authority (JRA).

Recommendations 16 and 17 of the report stated: "that the NSW Government make Joint Organisations available to all Councils in New South Wales" and,

"That the NSW Government work with local government on a statutory model for Joint Organisations based on the Hunters Hill, Ryde and Lane Cove Council model as a cooperative and consensus model for local council reform in Metropolitan Sydney".

This report absolutely vindicates the strong position we have held from its inception, that the City of Ryde, Hunter’s Hill and Lane Cove Councils’ proposal of a Joint Regional Authority (JRA) is a bold, visionary and a superior alternative to the NSW Government’s Fit for the Future proposals.

It is a sophisticated and contemporary model which breaks the traditional mould of amalgamations. The amalgamation option lacks innovation and the flexibility to move with the changing demands of our communities.

Lane Cove Mayor Clr Deborah Hutchens said: "Today’s recommendations by the Upper House clearly show that communities do not need to lose their access to local democracy in order to satisfy the State Government’s current ideology that bigger is better.

The Upper House has clearly given genuine consideration to the Joint Regional Authority as a well-researched, merit-based solution that addresses the areas of improvement the State Government claims to be seeking. I urge the State Government to heed the advice of this Inquiry or, if not, publically address why every Council in Sydney should be denied the opportunity to use the Joint Regional Authority model".

Ryde Mayor Clr Jerome Laxale said: "This is a significant development, which vindicates our City’s position on amalgamations as not being the answer to Local Government reform in NSW.

We now call on the NSW Premier, Minister for Local Government and our Local Members to support our visionary proposal and allow us to enter into a 12 month pilot of the JRA so we can prove its effectiveness. It is now time for the State government to step up and accept that there is a viable alternative to amalgamations".

Hunter’s Hill Mayor Clr Richard Quinn said: "This report clearly confirms that our JRA model is the superior option to forced amalgamations, and has bipartisan support for and acknowledgement of its very real merit. I now look forward to restoring a more genuine and open dialogue with the NSW Government as we seek to ensure grassroots democracy for our local communities".

As distinct from the State Government, the Parliamentary Inquiry has actually listened to our communities. This is supported by the fact that out of a total of 401 submissions sent to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Local Government in NSW, 199 of those submissions were from Ryde, Hunter’s Hill and Lane Cove, representing over 49% of the total submissions received. In addition, of the 199 submissions from our region, 169 were in support of our proposed Joint Regional Authority, another clear demonstration from our communities of their support for the formation of a JRA.

Using the State government’s own criteria, the City of Ryde, Hunter’s Hill and Lane Cove Council met all financial requirements. We are all financially fit councils, yet the NSW Premier is hell bent on merging Councils into oblivion. It is shameful that the Premier is pushing through with a plan that has no support from our communities. It is refreshing to hear that someone is actually listening to us and can finally see the sense and value of the JRA and its applicability throughout NSW.

Our residents have clearly shown their preference for us to work together which was demonstrated by their 92% level of support of our JRA as their first or second preference, which is a very clear mandate from our communities on this issue.

It is disgraceful that the State Government is locking out our communities in having a final opportunity to respond to the content of the IPART report by requiring all Councils to respond in 50 words or less by 18 November 2015! The State government is completely disregarding our communities’ views on this matter and the timeframes and process they are dictating to us is farcical.

The decision to amalgamate Councils demonstrates the State government’s rigidity and a lack of innovative thinking. The JRA by comparison is a strong and unique model that we are convinced would meet our communities’ needs and allow them to have a say in their future together in working with the State government in the strategic planning of Greater Sydney.

What was announced recently in the IPART report was a slap in the face to our local communities and clearly demonstrates that the State government went into this process with a predetermined outcome.

We will continue to keep fighting hard for the residents of Ryde, Hunter’s Hill and Lane Cove who clearly have pride in their history and unique identity, have confidence in their Council’s financial and governance performance and have a strong desire to be in control of their future.

The Our Council, Our Voice, Our Choice campaign provides an opportunity for members of the public to find out more about the issue of local council mergers and what they can do to voice their concern to their local member, the Minister and the Premier.

Their suggestion is to:

write to your local Member of Parliament and express your concerns - See here

write, email or tweet Premier Mike Baird and Local Government Minister Paul Toole and tell them you are opposed to the forced amalgamation of your counci

​Lane Cove has been left reeling following the State Government's announcement today that councils have just 30 days to put forward proposed merger options or, as Premier Mike Baird puts it, they "have to act".

The Mayor of Lane Cove, Clr Deborah Hutchens has slammed the announcement saying, "The NSW Government clearly has no shame. They obviously had no intention to listen to the results of our community consultation, instead pushing their flawed ideology that bigger is better. The outcome was determined right from the start when the State government provided its Terms of Reference to IPART to assess the Fit for the Future proposals. It didn't matter what the community wanted or what options councils came up with, unless you had a large population you would be deemed unfit".

"This obsession with size is quite ironic given that the largest council in Sydney, Blacktown Council, was deemed as financially unfit. Here we are in Lane Cove already meeting all the financial criteria including efficiency, infrastructure and sustainability and we're being deemed unfit because we don't fit the mould – or better still – the agenda".

"Adding further insult is the lack of transparency from the State Government at the last election. They didn't tell the community they would be forcing local government mergers so they have no mandate to unilaterally decrease local democracy".

"Three quarters of Australians believe 'local' government is best able to make decisions about the local area, compared to 16 per cent for state and 2 per cent for federal. I therefore challenge the Premier to let communities vote on whether they should merge", Clr Hutchens said.

With little hope that the State government will deviate from their existing plan, Clr Hutchens will hold urgent talks with neighbouring councils including Hunters Hill and Ryde who were part of a proposed Joint Regional Authority with Lane Cove.

"The Joint Regional Authority – which received 92% support from the community – did not even get a look in. This is an option for regional councils and should be available to Metropolitan councils too. Unfortunately the flawed ideology of the criteria set by the State government means they are still trumpeting that bigger is better so an option that gave all the benefits of scale without all the cost of merging was ignored".

"There is no evidence that bigger councils provide any cost saving to ratepayers (infact, it could cost more). Lane Cove has already been deemed financially fit and given the fact that NSW already has the lowest rates per capita of any State by a big margin, this whole argument around scale and population is fundamentally flawed".

"I can assure the people of Lane Cove that they will be heavily involved over the next month as we respond to the State Government – I for one am not going to reduce our future to ticks and crosses like the State government has done today. The community deserves to have a voice and we will do everything we can to ensure it is heard", Clr Hutchens said.

LGNSW Delegates show overwhelming support for Joint Regional Authority for Metropolitan councils

Local Government NSW Delegates demonstrated their overwhelming support for the formation of Joint Organisations for Metropolitan Councils in Sydney at their annual October conference in Sydney.

A motion put forward by the delegates from the City of Ryde and Lane Cove Council, supported by the delegates from Hunters Hill Council, asked for the Premier of NSW, The Hon. Mike Baird MP and the Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Paul Toole, to allow one set of rules to equally apply to all local government in NSW and allow regional joint organisations to be an option in the Sydney metropolitan area, in addition to rural and regional NSW.

When the motion was considered at the conference, there was an overwhelming demonstration of support for the motion, as it was adopted without debate.

On 30 June this year, the City of Ryde, Lane Cove and Hunter’s Hill Councils made a joint submission to the State Government for the formation of a Joint Regional Authority (JRA) as a superior alternative to that of the Independent Local Government Review Panel’s (ILGRP) merger proposals. The JRA is considered to be a more viable and advantageous model to that of amalgamation for metropolitan Sydney.

The core benefits of the JRA model proposed by the City of Ryde, Lane Cove and Hunter’s Hill Councils includes:

It is fit for purpose;

It is a more functional and integrated approach to inter-government relations;

It is well positioned to provide strategic decision making, service delivery and advocacy; and

It is an option that avoids the huge cost of amalgamations.

From the research and studies conducted, it is apparent that disadvantages of mergers include the following:

There is no evidence that forced mergers result in cost savings;

That a ‘one size fits all approach’ of mergers is misplaced;

Empirical evidence of the 2000-2004 NSW Council mergers, shows no difference in performance between merged and unmerged Councils;

Empirical evidence of the 2008 Queensland amalgamations shows that most amalgamated Councils are operating under diseconomies of scale;

The proposed mergers do not represent ‘a common community interest’;

Local representations severely diminish; and

A loss of ‘local’ in Local Government.

The motion highlighted the benefits of Council’s proposed Joint Regional Authority (JRA) option for northern Sydney and it being a superior option over mergers, thereby enhancing the Local Government sector. It reinforces the recommendations of the ILGRP that Joint Organisations are a viable option for Councils across NSW and should be considered as an option for all Sydney metropolitan councils.

Historic Signing of MOU on Joint Regional Authority

On Tuesday 21 July, Lane Cove Council joined Ryde and Hunter's Hill Councils in signing a Memorandum of Understanding on the Joint Regional Authority they proposed as an alternate solution to the NSW Government's proposed Council mergers.

All three Mayors signed the MOU in a show of unity and commitment to the JRA model which addresses the NSW Government's local government reform criteria without losing local representation and services through a mega-merger of six local councils.

Council would like to thank the community members who have taken the time to have their say on the proposed merger of Lane Cove Council – there has been an overwhelming response to the online survey, community consultation sessions and deliberative poll.

Council has now made its submission to the NSW Government however follows with interest the details of an Upper House Inquiry into the Fit for the Future Reform Agenda. The Inquiry will examine:

the Fit For The Future criteria

the right size for local councils in NSW

costs and benefits of council amalgamations for local residents and businesses

how amalgamations could affect rates and investment in local infrastructure

the role of partnership models where councils work together and with the State Government cooperatively to deliver results.

With the State Government committed to releasing their decision on all Council submissions by October 2015, this is likely the last chance for input into the State decision.

Last year the State Government announced its local government reform package 'Fit for the Future'. The program proposes 41 Sydney metropolitan councils merge into 18 ‘mega-councils’ with Lane Cove proposed to merge with five other councils - Hunter's Hill, North Sydney, Willoughby, Mosman and 2/3 of Ryde.

Council has until 30 June 2015 to respond and demonstrate that it has the scale and capacity to be 'Fit for the Future'. This consultation provides the Lane Cove community with three options. The results of this consultation will assist in informing Council's submission to the State Government.

Options for Council's Future

Council has produced an Information Package that details the three options presented to the Lane Cove community:

To inform these three options Lane Cove along with Ryde and Hunter's Hill Councils commissioned research relating to each of the options.

Draft Reports

Note: these are listed as draft reports as some small details may change however the overarching findings will remain:

Final Draft Report on the Analysis of the Proposed Mergers (note: a number of councils (not Lane Cove) have recently received permission from IPART to increase their rates for 2015/16. As a result an addendum will be produced to reflect any adjustments to the financial statements contained within this report).

Council, at its meeting of 15 June 2015, considered a
post consultation report on the matter and resolved to support the overwhelming
sentiment of the community in rejecting the amalgamation of Council as proposed
by the Independent Local Government Review Panel (ILGRP). However, to address
the State Governments scale and capacity criteria, Council has adopted a
superior option of standing alone and jointly forming a Joint Regional Authority
(JRA) with Hunters Hill and the City of Ryde Councils. The JRA would focus on
delivering subregional strategic land use and infrastructure planning,
sub-regional advocacy, procurement and shared services delivery.

If you would like to be kept informed about the progress of this consultation following the consultation period, please submit your email address here. Alternatively, you can check the 'Previous Consultations' section of the website at any time after the consultation closes for updated information in relation to this or any past consultation item.